


A Reason to Believe

by LittleMissRainbow



Category: Original Work
Genre: Based on a True Story, Don't copy to another site, Doppelganger, Friendship, Gen, Ghost Hunting, Ghosts, Happy Halloween!, Humor, Implied Relationships, Kinda, Spooky & Spice Zine, Summer Camp, how a skeptic became a believer, how tf do you tag for an original work, mildly spooky, too specific? think again, when you just want to enjoy your vacation but your friends are hellbent on looking for ghosts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:34:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27307810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleMissRainbow/pseuds/LittleMissRainbow
Summary: Ever the rational thinker, Cassie doesn't believe in the supernatural. However, one strange experience at summer camp might just change it all.[My Spooky piece for 2019's Spooky & Spice zine.]
Kudos: 1





	A Reason to Believe

**Author's Note:**

> *peeks from a corner* Hello~ I'm back...?
> 
> It's been a rough few months (as I imagine it has been for a lot of people), but I think I'm finally getting back my motivation to write. I figured I should start off by posting this original Halloween fic I wrote last year for the Spooky & Spice Zine. I was debating whether I should even post this because I'm not sure if anyone will read it, but I was quite proud of how this came out. Given the season, I thought there's no better time than the present, so I decided to post it anyway (a year later lmao).
> 
> Anyway, if anyone _does_ end up reading this, I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! This story is largely based on an experience me and my friends had during summer camp, so I made sure not to make this too scary (definitely not because this incident still creeps me out to this day pssh).
> 
> Thank you for reading! ^^

“For the last time, Stacey:  _ ghosts aren’t real _ ,” Cassie says the way a mom tells her kid “no, sweetie, we’re  _ still _ not there yet”.

“They are!” Stacey argues back, Ilia nodding eagerly beside her—sweet,  _ sweet  _ Ilia who should know better than to go along with Stacey’s dubious ideas of “fun”. “Just because you haven’t seen one, doesn’t mean they’re not there! That’s why we should look for them!”

Cassie shoots a look at Effie, who only looks at her amusedly as she eats popcorn with Pat like the traitor she is. She should have known something like this was going to happen the moment Stacey announced an important group huddle to be held in Cassie’s shared room with Effie. Close friends they may be, the three of them have had this argument ever since they first became friends—well, really it’s more Stacey than Ilia, given her more outgoing nature and their general uncontentious behavior.

Stacey and Ilia are staunch believers of all things supernatural. Ghosts, voodoo, aliens: name it, they probably have conspiracy boards on them. (At least, Cassie  _ thinks  _ they do. Those two  _ did _ buy a huge corkboard a month ago for a “secret project” they refuse to tell anyone about.) Cassie, on the other hand, has always been a skeptic. Rational thinking has always been her strongest suit, automatically leaving her as their group’s voice of reason on more than one occasion—this event included.

In an effort to de-stress before starting college in the fall, the five of them decided to attend a five-day summer camp along with a couple of friends from school. The principal of their high school knows the director of the campsite and had managed to get a good discount for her students in exchange for free advertisement. Though they’ve technically already graduated, Camp Oxalis’ director still gave them a pass. All in all, quite a good catch, isn’t it?

_ Well,  _ Cassie reflects,  _ if your friend plans on using the supposedly “mystery-filled” campsite as an excuse to do something as nonsensical as “ghost hunting” _ , and _ to do it without any permission or even any decent knowledge of camp survival, then  _ no— _ not really. _

“Stace, you don’t even know what’s out there,” Cassie points out in an effort to keep her friend’s recklessness at bay. “What if you get hurt?”

“Yes, I do, and they’re called spirits of the dead! And you don’t have to worry,” she says, pulling out a bottle from her bag with a flourish that would make a late-night TV product presenter weep with envy, “I brought some holy water with me!”

_ You’re completely missing the point!  _ Cassie screeches in her head.  _ Holy water won’t save you from a bear that’s out to make a meal out of you! _

Seeing her friend’s rising irritation, Effie finally takes mercy on them all. “I don’t think you’re supposed to leave the campers’ quarters after curfew. I’m pretty sure they have patrollers out and about right now, so I don’t think exploring the campsite at night is such a good idea.”

“Thank you!” Cassie says in exasperated relief as Stacey and Ilia groan in disappointment.

“That said,” she continues, much to Cassie’s dismay, “it  _ is  _ only the first night. Who knows what you might find in the next few days?”

As her two gullible friends celebrate behind her, she turns a glare on her so-called best friend. “You don’t even believe in ghosts,” Cassie accuses. “Why the heck would you say something like that?”

“Drama,” Effie states matter-of-factly, unrepentantly shrugging.

Pat only munches on more popcorn in silent agreement.

_ Her friends are awful people _ .

* * *

Suffice it to say, the next couple of days had been particularly trying for Cassie. With two of their friends’ ambiguous blessing, Stacey and Ilia had taken to sneaking around the campsite in between activities with their phones out, recording the scenery around them for supposed paranormal activity and interviewing the staff about alleged sightings and their experiences.

Cassie, being as obstinate about her friends’ safety and their responsibility to adhere to camp rules as Pat is about never missing meal time, had to keep a vigilant eye on the two lest their imaginations go wild.

(“Yes, that’s a shadow. No, that’s not proof, shadows  _ do  _ tend to follow people—that’s  _ literally  _ their thing.”)

(“A ghost did not steal Pat’s binder. He accidentally left it under a pile of clothes while he was talking to Okimasa on the phone.  _ No,  _ the ghost did  _ not _ move it.”)

(“The ‘spirits’ of this campsite did not wake me up in the middle of the night—it’s the thought of you two getting in trouble that gives me nightmares!”)

(“Don’t give me those puppy eyes, Stacey! I don’t care that a counselor told you about hearing strange noises by the riverside, you are _not_ wading through that river without permission from the camp director! There’s a reason why there’s a “keep out” sign there— _no,_ _don’t you dare join in, Ilia!_ ”)

Keeping her friends in line is, as always, tough business—keeping her sanity, even more so. Really, they should be thankful she loves them a lot, otherwise, she would have left them long ago for more sensible, mild-mannered people. (Oh, who is she kidding; she wouldn’t trade them for the _world._ )

Still, what won’t Cassie give to get a bit more peace around here…

On the plus side, at least it’s already the final morning of their stay.

Checking her phone for the time, Cassie decides to get up and start the day early. She has yet to pack her belongings for their departure; it’s best she takes a shower now before the morning rush to avoid scrambling later. 

“Hey, Effie?”

A tiny grunt answers her from the other bed.

“I’m going to take a shower now. You wanna come with?”

There’s a rustling sound before a face emerges from her sea of blankets, bleary eyes squinting at Cassie. “What time is it?” asks the unkempt creature that is her best friend in the morning. As prim and proper as she is most of the time, Effie has never mastered being a morning person. Cassie stifles a giggle.

“It’s five in the morning.”

Effie hums dazedly before burrowing back into her pillow. “I’mma sleep for five more minutes. You go first.”

“Alright.” Quietly gathering her bath supplies, Cassie heads out to the nearest girls’ bathroom.

The campgrounds are still, silent under the peeking sun from the east, save for the occasional bird and the rushing river. Cassie hugs her towel tighter in an effort to ward off the morning chill.

Though there are more than seventy campers around, it’s hard to tell given how deserted the place looks. Then again, it’s not much of a wonder as the bonfire ended rather late last night; everyone else is likely to sleep in for at least another hour. Cassie greets one of the staff she passes by ( _ Karen _ , her brain reminds her), who absently returns her greeting before quickly walking to her intended destination—no doubt busy with preparations for the camp’s ending ceremony.

Cassie enters the bathroom. It’s decorated simply, equipped practically with ten shower stalls—five stalls on each side of the room, facing each other—and ten toilet cubicles—also evenly divided, situated next to the shower stalls—with a communal vanity by the entrance. Just as she thought, it’s completely devoid of people.

_ Or not _ , she notes in her head, hearing someone singing faintly in one of the shower stalls—someone who sounds incredibly familiar.

“Stacey? Is that you?” Cassie asks, incredulous. Stacey is notorious for sleeping in, usually getting to class a few minutes late. Even in their yearbook, she was voted “Most Likely to Be Late to Her Own Wedding”, as opposed to her choice of “Most Likely to Be a Professional Ghost Hunter”. As enthusiastic she is about most things, it always takes her a while to get her energy up in the morning—which is why it’s so surprising that she’s already up and about.

“Here,” comes the muffled reply.

_ This is hella sus _ , she thinks. “You better not be planning on playing ‘ghost investigator’ here,” Cassie warns. “Ilia’s not here to stop me from taking your ouija board.”

A distracted-sounding hum is the only reply she gets. _I guess she isn’t completely_ _awake yet,_ Cassie contemplates wryly. Deciding to save the teasing for later (because really—Stacey? Awake? This early? _Is the world ending?_ ), Cassie enters the stall opposite her friend’s and prepares to take a shower.

As the showerhead rains over her, Cassie can’t help but feel rather wistful that the camp is almost to an end. As tiring as the activities are (not to mention her job as her friends’ minder), it has been quite an enjoyable experience. She didn’t even realize how stressed she’s been about graduating from high school and starting college until she noticed how light she feels recently. Though she understands that just because they’re going to college doesn’t mean their friendship will wither away, her heart has been nervous all the same, like the tricky little bugger it is.

“This camp has been pretty fun, huh?” she says, almost absentmindedly as she towels herself off. “It’s kind of a shame it’s almost over.”

Only the shower answers her before she hears a soft “yeah” from her friend. Cassie frowns, a few bells ringing in her head. Stacey sounds rather off. Is the end of the camp getting her down? Maybe Cassie isn’t the only one who’s been having troubles.

Just as she’s about to ask her friend what’s wrong, the bathroom door opens. “Cassie? You here?” comes Effie’s voice, still sounding a bit rough from sleep.

“Yeah, I’m here. Are you going to take a shower now?”

“Nah, I can do that after breakfast,” she replies. A faucet turns on outside. “You almost done? Your phone was ringing earlier and it woke me up. I think it’s your mom.”

“Alright, I’m almost done here,” Cassie says. “Stacey’s here too, by the way.”

“Stacey?” Effie’s voice is probably as disbelieving as hers was earlier. “Dude, you actually woke up this early? Are pigs about to start flying?”

Stacey laughs from her stall, her voice echoing oddly in the large, empty bathroom. She certainly sounds a lot better now. Had Cassie just imagined it?

Inwardly shaking her head, she turns to Effie, whose face is wet from washing her face. “What time did mom call?”

“A few minutes ago? I checked your phone when I woke up. She called, like, three times.” She shrugs, wiping the stray drops of water from her face. “Hey, can I borrow your towel real quick?”

“You should have brought your own,” Cassie scolds her friend lightly as she removes the towel from her head where it was snugly wrapped. “Hey, Stace, we’re heading out. We’ll go ahead, okay?”

“M’kay,” Stacey replies.

She and Effie leave the bathroom, Effie stifling a yawn. “So, why’s your mom calling this early? Did she forget you’re coming home today?”

“No, but she does have that seminar today. She must have lost something again,” Cassie says.

“Your mom is as forgetful as always, huh?” Effie comments dryly.

“It’s the stress. I already told her to stop working so hard, but does she listen?  _ Nope. _ ” Cassie sighs. “Anyway, I hope it’s nothing too serious. We’re not leaving here until after lunch and the journey home takes hours.”

Effie pats her shoulder in solidarity. Just as she opens her mouth to say something, someone calls out to them.

“Hey!” Ilia waves at them cheerily from a distance, hair still somewhat rumpled as they walk towards the two. “Where’ve you guys been? Pat says we should start getting ready for breakfast. You weren’t in your room so we decided to look fo—hey, why do you look so weird?” they ask worriedly. “Guys? What’s wrong?”

_ What’s wrong  _ is that Ilia’s not alone.  _ What’s wrong  _ is that there’s someone else besides Pat who’s with them.  _ What’s wrong  _ is that  _ Stacey  _ is with them, still in her sleepwear, yawning loudly—clearly having just woken up, as evidenced by the fact that she’s using Ilia’s head as a makeshift pillow.

Cassie’s first thought is that their friends are just messing with them—that Stacey  _ was  _ in the bathroom, pretending to shower, and then running back to the others to try and freak Cassie and Effie out as the most doubtful of the existence of the supernatural. But there’s only one pathway to the bathroom, and they literally just came from there. Unless Stacey swam through the river behind the bathroom—and given the dry state of her clothes, she did not—there is simply no other way for her to have gotten past them.

Cassie exchanges a look with Effie, the same question plastered on her face: If Stacey is right here, then who on earth had they just been talking to in the bathroom?

(Against her will, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand up.)

* * *

Haltingly, Effie recounts their strange encounter as Cassie attempts to make sense of things. Having heard the story, Stacey immediately perks up with energy that could only be received from caffeine, and runs towards the girls’ bathroom. The others follow the headstrong girl and enter, their footsteps eerily echoing inside the bathroom. 

“Which one was it?” Stacey whisper-yells.

Effie points the third stall on the right. “That one,” she says, Cassie nodding beside her.

In true Stacey fashion, she walks straight to the stall and unceremoniously opens the shower curtain.

It’s empty. More than that: the floor tiles are bone dry.

_ Nobody has taken a shower there all morning. _

* * *

After leaving the bathroom, the five friends sit in one of the pavilions near the cabins. Stacey faces Cassie and Effie with an enormous grin on her face. “Cass. You just had an  _ encounter _ ,” she says, her voice tinged with awe.

“We’re still not sure of that,” Cassie counters. Even her own brain doesn’t believe her. “Maybe it’s just one of our classmates playing a prank on us.”

“Girl,  _ nobody  _ sounds like me,” Stacey retorts. “Plus, you recognized it as  _ my _ voice right away, didn’t you?”

“Also, the shower stall we thought she was in is definitely unused—so are the other stalls beside it,” Effie points out. 

“What? So, are you telling me you believe that the person we talked to was a spirit? Some kind of-of,” she racks her brain for the right word in mounting hysteria, “ _ doppelganger _ ?”

Effie shrugs. “Evidence  _ does  _ suggest it. How else can you explain what just happened?”

“An  _ encounter _ ,” Stacey repeats, wonder still in place.

Cassie is left speechless as she stares up at her friend from where she’s seated on one of the outdoor benches. Ilia gently pats her hand, sweet little beans that they are, as she slowly loses her mind beside them. Even Pat isn’t talking about breakfast—which says a lot, given his love for all things food. (He’s even known for saying that he would choose steak over his boyfriend—a sentiment that Okimasa also shares, the steak-lovers that they are.)

Luckily, Stacey isn’t the type to gloat. Unluckily, she jumps straight to action instead. “We should ask one of the staff about this! Let’s go!”

Tongue-tied from with mixed emotions, Cassie can only let herself be dragged along once again by her friends.

_ Seriously, what on earth was going on?! _

* * *

A few hours later when the final assembly is over and everyone is packed and ready to go, the five friends huddle at the back of the bus, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible as the bus prepares to leave. Although, given the strange looks they’ve gotten from a few fellow campers—largely directed at the manic grin on Stacey’s face—they are rather unsuccessful. Thankfully, everyone is more focused on making sure they left no belongings behind and looking for their missing friends than staring at a crazy person.

“So a girl drowned in the river before the camp was built,” Stacey recounts, as if the four of them didn’t hear the same story from Youngbae, the counselor they talked to earlier. “Back when that area was just a cabin in the woods, the owner’s young daughter apparently slipped and fell into the river during a heavy rain.” 

“I thought it was demons who copied the voices of other people?” Ilia asks in confusion. Then they shudder. “Although, if that  _ is  _ the case, that just makes this whole incident a lot creepier.”

“Who knows? It’s a real shame we weren’t able to investigate further.” Stacey shrugs, pouting at the missed opportunity. She shuffles in her place beside Pat, looking over to where Cassie is seated across the bus. “Cass, what do you think it is? Ghost or demon?”

Cassie huffs. “I’m surprised you’re taking this so well. Shouldn’t you be more worried if some sort of…  _ entity  _ is apparently copying your voice?”

“Well, that only means that I’m getting closer to capturing supernatural proof on camera!” Stacey pumps her fist enthusiastically. “For example, if that girl copied my voice, then maybe when I get home she could— _ wait. _ ” She focuses her eyes back on Cassie, her brown eyes somehow lighting up with more excitement. Cassie can only brace herself for Hurricane Stacey. “That wasn’t sarcastic just now, was it? Does that mean you believe in ghosts now, too?!”

“Listen,” Cassie intones with as much gravitas as she can give. “As much as I don’t want to believe it, when so much evidence piles up pointing towards only one possible conclusion, it’s only right to concede to it.”

Stacey blinks. “In layman’s terms?”

“‘Yes, I believe in ghosts’,” Effie cheekily translates beside her.

“All I’m saying is that I’m not discounting the possibility that they  _ do _ exist,” Cassie unfruitfully tries to explain over Stacey and Ilia’s cheers. “And for that, I think I should give you guys an apology.”

“Girl, who cares about apologies!” Stacey grins. “As far as I’m concerned, I just gained another believer to help me in my quest to look for solid proof! Even better: I just gained a researcher!”

Cassie squints at her friend. “You know, I’m still not 100% convinced that you didn’t orchestrate the whole thing so that you can make me join your ‘quest’,” she says, making air quotes.

Pat smirks at her over his Pocky. “Occam’s razor, Cass.”

Cassie rolls her eyes as Effie gives him a high-five like the hypocrite she not-so-secretly is. As much as she’d like to reject it, it would do her no good to stay in denial. It seems that there  _ is  _ some truth to the supernatural.

_ Or is it “paranormal”? Is there a difference?  _ she muses.  _ Something to look up later, then. It seems there are always more things to learn. _

As the bus starts to move, off to deliver them home, Cassie chances a look back at Camp Oxalis. What a strange experience she’s had in this place. Even now, she’s still not sure what to feel about all this, her brain still rebooting from all the new information. Already, she envisions a freakout session in the very near future when it fully sinks in—most likely when she gets home. With all the changes that have been happening around her recently, it seems like this is just another one of them—if one wants to be candid about it. A change in perspective, of all things. 

_ Would wonders ever cease?  _ Cassie thinks sardonically.  _ And to think, this camp was supposed to help me relax _ — _ not drastically change my worldview. _

(And if she’s not so quick to rule out seeing a figure in the distance waving goodbye as her eyes just playing tricks on her…

Well, it’s not like her friends  _ have _ to know, right?)

**Author's Note:**

> (There's a tiny easter egg somewhere in this fic. I wonder if someone will be able to see it or if I made it too hard to find lol)


End file.
